This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Dugan
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Dk.2ADE/1032
Message Board Post:
SSGT Elden (Eldon?) D. Dugan of Arcadia, Indiana in Hamilton or Tipton County and the
United States Army, s/n 20533259, 152nd Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, was
killed February 14, 1945, while serving in the South Pacific during World War II. He is
buried in the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. The inscription on the white
cross bearing his name displays "Elden D. Dugan" as his name.
SSGT Dugan and his unit were clearing the Japanese from Zig Zag Pass after a landing near
Olongapo when he met his fate. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Our goal is to find his family and present them with photos of his grave site at the
Manila American Cemetery.
We have located these references at the Indiana State Library, World War II database but
have not been able to access them because we reside in the Philippines. We hope you can
help us, this would greatly increase our chances of finding the family of Dugan.
References:
Indianapolis Times
April 4, 1945
Casualty
Page 11, Column 7
Indianapolis Star
April 5, 1945
Casualty
Page 3, Column 3
We received a note from Nancy A. Mssey at Hamilton County Library in regards to the
memorial service after his death:
NOBLESVILLE DAILY LEDGER, Thursday, May 31, 1945. p.1
Eldon D. Dugan Memorial Sunday
Memorial services will be held for S/Sgt. Eldon D. Dugan Sunday, June 3, at 2:30 pm at the
Rock Prairie Baptist church, where he was a member. The Rock Prairie church is located
five and one-half miles north of Tipton on the Ash Street Road. The parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Otto Dugan, live at Atlanta, Indiana.
This location is in Tipton County and near Howard County.
We welcome any information that would lead us to find the family of this Indiana hero.
Hello, I am a retired American residing in the Philippines with my Filipino wife. A year
ago we visited the memorial as visitors but came home with a mission in our hearts. As we
gazed over the beautifully manicured acres and the 17,202 American graves, it was obvious
only a few families had ever visited their graves.
I stepped into the soft grass and focused my camera on one of the white crosses, a grave
of an Ohio soldier. A strange calmness was in the air as I walked a few more steps and a
cross of an Indiana soldier lay square in my path. The letters of the inscription on the
marker was bolder than ever, here lay a soldier from my home state.
At that moment a quiet brainstorm aroused my humble thoughts. I wondered if I could locate
any of the families of these men. My stride became more defined and within a few moments I
had located and photographed eight more graves.
Since those gut-wrenching but touching moments we have energized our efforts in finding
the families of these American men from Indiana. We have located well over 100 and have
delivered the FREE photographs to them via email.
Please visit our website and see the men we have honored and the families we have assisted
in finding a more genuine closure of a horrible tragedy.
http://fizkid.tripod.com/
Our success in finding the families was the result of journalists, amateur genealogists,
historians, historical societies, librarians and lots of wonderful Hoosiers and those with
Indiana ties across America.
During our search we have also reached families from other states as well and have filled
special requests for photos from the Manila American Cemetery. We presently have
photographed only the graves of the Indiana soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen; however
we have photographed all of the names that are engraved on the "Tablets of the
Missing". We offer them free of charge to anyone who asks.
We ask for your help in finding their families. We understand this is a genealogy board
but we do not need immediate genealogy in that form, we need leads to find the families.
Please become one of our special volunteers today and find the family of an Indiana
serviceman from near your home. A list of the men from your Indiana county is available,
free and all you must do is request it.
Dave and Apple Dwiggins
San Pablo City, Philippines